Nishinomiya Matsuri

After one of our concerts last weekend we went to an Irish Pub in Nishinomiya.  In addition to the fun of watching our English bass trombone player instruct the Japanese tuba player on how to eat fish and chips ("just use your hands"), I also happened to pick up a well-placed English free monthly on what's going on in this area of Japan.  In "Kansai Scene" there are listings of events, language exchanges, and places to eat.  One of the events was a festival in the Nishinomiya shrine, so I convinced two of my friends to venture out on our bikes to find the place.  With not too much trouble, we found it, sans street names.

Georgi and Hui-Ju at the Nishinomiya shrine

Oddly enough, no one else was there.  As we walked through the shrine, enjoying its ponds and the gracefully sloping roofs of its building, Hui-Ju noticed a flyer which said that the festival started a day later.  It was my mistake.  Maybe I waste my ability to read English.  

Not to be deterred and full of time time time, we got on our bikes again this afternoon and enjoyed a shorter and more experienced route to the shrine.  

Honden  of the Nishinomiya shrine 

Lots of beautiful lights and people and food and games.  There was a performance before a film showing and I got to see the pedagogy of Taiko drumming.  The students first learn a dance that has the elements needed for the extremely physical drumming.  Hands raised high to hit the drums and then plunging to incredible low stances.  

Top frame is the children performing their dance and below is the experienced Taiko drum troupe that we saw in Taka-cho

It made me think about ways of teaching fundamentals to children and starting them really really early.  In the same evening we saw some very young baton twirlers.  Starting early seems like a Japanese characteristic of education.  Of course we are in the land where Suzuki (the man and the method) was born.  

As we walked out of the shrine, we passed the food venders and game booths.  Minus the carnival rides, gambling, and funnel cake, there are some things quite similar here to America.  They even had cotton candy.  But we chose to share some takoyaki- fried octopus dumplings which are a specialty of this area.  

Lower right is the octopus wrapped in a pan; above it is the cooking takoyaki, soon to be rotated in its circular cooking mold;  the woman is preparing our fresh takoyaki with sauce, mayonnaise, and bonito (fish flakes) and in the front center are completed takoyaki (five balls per carton)

various venders at the festival

I'm not sure what the significance of the festival is.  It last for a few days and there are parades and other things, which we can't attend because we have a concert (the Russian cooking televised concert!).  Perhaps its purpose was the same as festival purposes are in so many places, bringing people together.